This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 97110269 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Mar. 21, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to an air enclosure and a method for manufacturing it, and more particularly to an air enclosure without a heat resistant material and a method for manufacturing it.
Generally, when an article is packed, a soft material such as foam or Styrofoam is used to provide the article with a cushioning protection. However, foam can be attached closely to a surface of the article, but mere impact protection is sub-optimal; the article is still frequently struck and damaged. Moreover, foam is difficult to deal with; it is accompanied by environmental protection issues. The Styrofoam may prevent an article from being damaged by shaking, but a bouffant volume of Styrofoam occupies a large volume, does not decompose easy, and will release poisonous gas after incineration, causing serious environmental pollution. Thus foam and Styrofoam cause environmental protection problems; Styrofoam is not an ideal cushioning material in the current culture of heightened environmental consciousness.
To solve the aforementioned problems, an air enclosure using a resin film as a material is developed; it is sealed by means of hot sealing to form an air cylinder and disposed with an air filling entrance. The air enclosure can be used as a cushioning material during an inner packing after being filled in the air cylinder via the air filling entrance, where a check valve will be disposed in the air enclosure to create an air lock.
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To improve an air inlet of an air enclosure and its manufacturing process, decreasing the labor and the material costs consumed by spreading a heat resistant material and in the meantime, allowing the air inlet to be opened effectively so as to enable the air filling to be continuous to save the air filling time, the present invention is proposed.
To achieve the objects mentioned above, the present invention proposes an air enclosure without a hear resistant material, including:
The present invention also proposes a method for manufacturing an air enclosure without a heat resistant material, including the following steps:
Where it is not necessary to spread a heat resistant material in advance according to the present invention, the two sheets of inner film are stacked together directly and the heat resistant pad is used to place in between the two inner films to form the air inlet by means of hot sealing thereby shortening the manufacturing process effectively and reducing the labor and the material costs substantially. In addition, when the two sheets of outer film are pulled apart, the air inlets formed by the inner films are opened automatically, air is filled into the plurality of air cylinders via the air inlets; it is unnecessary to position each air inlet while being filled with air, thus reducing the air filling time. Each air cylinder is independent and the cushioning effect is not influenced even if some air cylinders are broken. The air in the air cylinder compresses the inner films to cover the air inlet to shield the air cylinder creating an air lock.
The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:
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An air enclosure without a heat resistant material includes two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b, an air filling passageway 9, a plurality of air cylinders 11 and a plurality of air inlets 2d.
The two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b are stacked together vertically.
The two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are lain in between the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, lengths of the inner films 1a and 1b are shorter than a length of the outer film 2a or 2b, and top ends of the two sheets of inner film are lower than top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b.
A heat resistant pad 8 is placed between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b; hot sealing is carried out along a hot sealing line 4, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are still not adhered to each other to form a plurality of air inlet 2d and in the meantime, hot sealing is used to generate a plurality of hot sealing portions 2c thereby adhering the outer 2a to the inner film 1a and the outer film 2b to the inner film 1b, where the heat resistant pad 9 is disposed with a plurality of projecting portions 81. The plurality of projecting portions 81 of the heat resistant pad 8 are placed between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b, and the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b and the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along the hot sealing line 4 to form the plurality of air inlets 2d.
Hot sealing is carried out along a hot sealing line 3 to allow the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be adhered to each other to form an air filling passageway 9 between the hot sealing lines 3 and 4, where the air filling passageway 9 includes an air filling entrance 9a connected to the outside; hot sealing is carried out along hot sealing lines 5 and 6 to allow the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be adhered to each other to form a plurality of air cylinders 11 among the hot sealing lines 4, 5 and 6, where the air cylinder 11 is used for storing air, and the air inlet 2d communicates the air cylinder 11 with the air filling passageway 9.
Air entering the air filling entrance 9a expands the air filling passageway 9 to cause the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be pulled apart outward, and the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b can be pushed apart by the hot sealing portions 2c positioned in the air filling passageway 9 to open outward because the outer film 2a and the inner film 1a together with the outer film 2b and the inner film 1b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing thereby allowing the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b not adhered to each other to be pull apart outward to automatically open each air inlet 2d connected to the air filling passageway 9, as
After air enters the air cylinder 11 via the air inlet 2d, internal air pressure of the air cylinder 11 compresses the inner film 1a or 1b to cover the air inlet 2d and shield the air cylinder 11 so as to create an air lock.
A gradually contracted air passageway 13 connected to the air inlet 2d may be disposed in advance in the air cylinder 11. One end of the air passageway 13 connected with the air inlet 2d is wider than another end thereof to allow the air in the air inlet 2d to enter easily but not escape easily. In addition, a curved air passageway 13 connected with the air inlet 2d may also be disposed in advance in the air cylinder 11. A curved portion of the air passageway 13 is compressed tightly to create an air lock while the internal pressure of the air cylinder 11 increases.
In addition, if the inner film 1a and the outer film 2a are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are side-attached to the outer film 2a while being compressed as
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In the present embodiment, top ends of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are aligned with top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, and hot sealing is used to generate hot sealing portions 2c thereby adhering the outer film 2a to the inner film 1a and the outer film 2b to the inner film 1b, where the hot sealing portions 2c may be a plurality of hot sealing points as
Furthermore, when the hot sealing is carried out along the hot sealing line 3, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are adhered to each other to form an air filling passageway 9 between the hot sealing lines 3 and 4. When the air filling passageway 9 is filled with air and expanded, it will drive the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to pull apart outward to automatically open each air inlet 2d connected with the air filling passageway 9 to allow the air in the air filling passageway 9 to be filled into each air cylinder 11 to cause it to be filled with air and expanded via each air inlet 2d.
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The present invention may further includes two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b positioned between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b. Two sides of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b and two sides of the auxiliary film 7a and 7b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along an auxiliary hot sealing line 42, and the projecting portions 81 of the heat resistant pad 8 are then placed between the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b. Thereafter, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b together with the two sheets of auxiliary films 7a and 7b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along a hot sealing line 41 to form a plurality of auxiliary air inlet 7d between the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b.
Wherein, the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b are disposed at a bottom place between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b, i.e. a position below the hot sealing line 4 as
Where the air filling passageway 9 is not disposed in the present embodiment, a user may directly and manually pull the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b apart outward and in the meantime, the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b not adhered to each other are caused to pull apart outward to automatically open the auxiliary air inlet 7d, and an air filling tool (not shown in the figure) is then used to do the air filling. Thereafter, air can be filled in each air cylinder 11 via the air inlet 2d and the auxiliary air inlet 7d.
Although the present embodiment assumes for the sake of example that the side of the air cylinder 11 is not disposed with the air filling passageway 9, it is not limited to this. The structure may be adjusted depending on practical requirements. For example, the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b are adhered to each other or the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to each other by means of hot sealing to form the air filling passageway 9; air entering the air filling entrance 9a expands the air filling passageway 9 to cause the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be pulled apart outward. Because the outer film 2a and the inner film 1a as well as the outer film 2b and the inner film 1b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b can be driven to open outward through the hot sealing portion 2c positioned in the air filling passageway 9 thereby allowing the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b not adhered to each other to be pulled apart outward to automatically open each air inlet 2d connected with the air filling passageway 9 and in the meantime, allowing the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b not adhered to each other to be pulled apart outward to automatically open the auxiliary air inlet 7d. The air in the air filling passageway 9 can be filled in each air cylinder 11 to cause it to be filled with air and expanded via the air inlet 2d and the auxiliary air inlet 7d.
In the present embodiment, the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b are further disposed between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b thereby allowing high pressure air to be filled in the air cylinder 11 to prevent high pressure air from causing the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to be broken during the air filling to increase air filling efficiency.
A method for manufacturing an air enclosure without a heat resistant material according to the present invention, includes the following steps:
Step 1: providing two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b;
Step 2: stacking two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to allow the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to be lain in between the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b;
Lengths of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are shorter than lengths of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, and top ends of the two sheets of inner 1a and 1b are lower than top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, or aligned with the top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b.
Step 3: placing a heat resistant pad 8 between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b;
The heat resistant pad 8 is disposed with a plurality of projecting portions 81, and the plurality of projecting portions 81 of the heat resistant pad 8 are placed between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b.
Step 4: adhering the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b and the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to each other by means of hot sealing to form a plurality of air inlets 2d and form a plurality of air cylinders 11 between the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b.
When the top ends of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are lower than the top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b as well as the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along a hot sealing line 4 to form a plurality of air inlets 2d and in the meantime, generate a hot sealing portion 2c by means of hot sealing, thereby adhering the outer film 2a to the inner film 1a and the outer film 2b to the inner film 1b; the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along a hot sealing line 3 to form an air filling passageway 9 between the hot sealing lines 3 and 4, and the air filling passageway 9 includes an air filling entrance 9a connected to the outside.
When the top ends of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are aligned with the top ends of the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, hot sealing portions 2c are generated by means of hot sealing thereby adhering the outer film 2a to the inner film 1a and the outer film 2b to the inner film 1b, where the hot sealing portions 2c may be a plurality of hot sealing points or hot sealing lines. The two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b as well as the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along a hot sealing line 4 to form a plurality of air inlets 2d; the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are adhered to each other by process hot sealing along a hot sealing line 3 to form an air filling entrance 9 between the hot sealing lines 3 and 4, and the air filling passageway 9 includes an air filling entrance 9a connected to the outside.
Hot sealing is carried out along hot sealing lines 5 and 6 to allow the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be adhered to each other to form air cylinders 11 among the hot sealing lines 4, 5 and 6, the air cylinder 11 is used for storing air, and the air inlet 2d communicates the air cylinder 11 with the air filling passageway 9. In addition, the air filling passageway 9 is positioned at one side of the air cylinder 11.
Step 5: taking out the heat resistant pad 8;
Step 6: filling air into the air cylinder 11 via the air inlet 2d to allow the air cylinder 11 to be filled with air and expanded.
When the air filling passageway 9 is formed by adhering the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b, air entering the air filling entrance 9a expands the air filling passageway 9 to cause the two sheets of outer film 2a and 2b to be pulled apart outward. Because the outer film 2a and the inner film 1a as well as the outer film 2b and the inner film 1b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing, the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b can be pushed open outward through the hot sealing portion 2c positioned in the air filling passageway 9, thereby allowing the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b not adhered to each other to be pulled apart outward to automatically open each air inlet 2d connected with the air filling passageway 9. The air in the air filling passageway 9 can be filled in each air cylinder 11 via each air inlet 2d to cause the air cylinder 11 to be filled with air and expanded. If the air cylinder passageway 9 is formed by adhering the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to each other, air entering the air filling entrance 9a expands the air filling passageway 9 to drive the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to pull apart outward to automatically open each air inlet 2d connected to the air filling entrance 9 to allow the air in the air filling passageway 9 to be filled in each cylinder 11 via each air inlet 2d to cause the air cylinder to be filled with air and expanded.
Step 7: using the air in the air cylinder 11 to compress the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b to cover the air inlet 2d and shield the air cylinder 11.
After air enters the air cylinder 11 via the air inlet 2d, internal air pressure of the air cylinder 11 compresses the inner film 1a or 1b to cover the air inlet 2d and shield the air cylinder 11 so as to create an air lock. In this case, when the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b are compressed they can be side-attached to the one sheet of outer film 2a or 2b, or not be side-attached to the outer film 2a or 2b but suspended in the air cylinder 11.
Furthermore, the method according to the present invention may further include after Step 1: providing two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b to allow the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b to be lain in between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b. Therefore, two sides of the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b and two sides of the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b are adhered to each other in advance by means of hot sealing along an auxiliary hot sealing line 42 in Step 2, and the plurality of projecting portions 81 of the heat resistant pad 8 are then placed between the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b. The two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b as well as the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b are adhered to each other by means of hot sealing along an auxiliary hot sealing line 41 to form a plurality of auxiliary air inlets 7d between the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b. In this case, the two sheets of auxiliary film 7a and 7b are disposed at a bottom place between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b, i.e. a position below the hot sealing line 4; they may also be disposed at a middle position between the two sheets of inner film 1a and 1b, i.e. parts of the auxiliary films 7a and 7b are positioned above the hot sealing line 4, and other parts thereof are positioned below the hot sealing line 4.
According to the present invention, the two sheets of inner film are stacked together directly, it is unnecessary to spread in advance a heat resistant material between the two sheets of inner film, a heat resistant pad is placed between the two sheets of inner film and hot sealing is carried out to adhere the two sheets of inner film to each other to form air inlets so as to shorten effectively the manufacturing process and reduce substantially labor and material costs. In addition, according to the present invention, the air inlets can be opened automatically while the air filling is being processed so as to fill the plurality of air cylinders with air via the air inlets; it is not necessary to position each air inlet during the air filling, thus reducing air filling time. Each air cylinder is independent; the cushioning effect is not influenced even if some air cylinders are broken. The air in the air cylinder compresses the inner films to cover the air inlet to shield the air cylinder; the air can be prevented from leaking to attain to the air locking effect. Moreover, the air compresses the curved portion of the air passageway when the internal air pressure of the air cylinder increases to attain to the air locking effect too.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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97110269 | Mar 2008 | TW | national |